Flash reached his fist up toward the steel door, but found himself hesitating. It was a door he'd knocked on countless times, yet it didn't feel the same on that day. In fact, he'd felt different the moment he'd awoken, for he woke up knowing exactly what he would do that day, almost as though he'd planned it the night before. It was something he'd given a lot of thought, especially during the last few months, but it was only when he opened his eyes that morning that he made the decision.
He knocked on the door and it opened after only a few seconds of waiting. Sunset Shimmer stood in the doorway, wearing nothing but a bathrobe and a scowl. "You're late," she said, stepping aside to let Flash in.
He walked into the small apartment she called her home, muttering, "I overslept."
"Whatever," she said, shutting the door. As soon as it was locked, Sunset turned to Flash and latched her lips to his.
Although he'd known it was coming, it still made Flash hesitate. The feeling of Sunset's tongue in his mouth reminded him of why he'd stayed with her for so long in the first place. It was almost like she knew why he was there, and was making an effort to stall him. He was sure she wasn't, though. After all, this was how it went every Saturday. Come over at noon, crawl into bed with his girlfriend, and then walk (or be shoved) back out a few hours later. Sometimes they'd just hang out and watch a movie or something, but those times were few and far between. They often didn't even speak to one another unless it was relevant to the moment.
With more effort than he'd ever be comfortable admitting, Flash broke the kiss and stepped back. "Sunset, there's something we need to talk about."
Sunset crossed her arms, seemingly waiting for him to continue. "Well, what is it?"
"Listen," he started, fiddling with the zipper on his jacket, "the time we've spent together... I've really enjoyed it, and I wouldn't change any of it—"
Sunset scoffed, interrupting him. "Oh, I've seen enough crappy romance movies to know where this is going, so I'll save you some trouble. The answer is 'no.'"
"What?"
"You're trying to break up with me, and I'm saying 'no,'" she clarified.
Flash sighed. "Sunset, you can't just say 'no' when someone breaks up with you."
Sunset chuckled a little. "You really don't know me too well if that's what you think."
Flash nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that's exactly the problem."
She stopped laughing in an instant. "What?"
"We've been going out for a while now, but I still feel like we barely know each other. We never really talk anymore, you know? All we ever do is sleep together a few times a week."
A crooked smirk found its way onto Sunset's face as she approached him, sliding her hands into his jacket and around to his back. "Are you saying you don't like our little get-togethers? I don't seem to recall hearing any complaints. Quite the opposite, in fact."
"No, it's juhhhmmm...." He was cut off by another kiss, this one even more intense than the previous. It really was like she was trying to tempt him into staying. For a moment, it was even working. Flash found his hands untying the belt on her robe and sliding into it to rest on her bare hips. It was so routine that he didn't even have to think about it, just like his legs would automatically carry him to his next class at school.
"No, no," Flash said, pulling back again. He took a breath. "It's been a lot of fun being with you, but you've been so distant and evasive lately that I'm finding it hard to really connect with you anymore. I feel like you're hiding something from me and it's keeping us apart." He hoped the lines didn't sound as rehearsed as they were.
Sunset rolled her eyes. "I've always been like that, idiot," she stated flatly. "Ask anybody around the school and they'll tell you the same thing. My life is my own business and I like to keep it that way."
"I'm your boyfriend, I think I should be allowed to know something about you. Like, where were you born? How do you afford this apartment?"
"Like I said," Sunset repeated, "I've always been like this; it's not something new. Why bring it up now?"
Flash ran a hand through his hair, looking down at the floor. He'd given it some thought, and the best conclusion wasn't one he was very proud of. "You're really hot."
He blushed a little as she laughed at his response, and he continued, "When we first met, I got this impression that you weren't like other girls. There was something different about you. The way you moved, the way you talked. And you had this air of authority about you. You walked through the school like you owned it. You were the boss, and anyone who didn't pick up on that was an idiot. You took charge of every room you walked into. You were just so... so cool. I had to talk to you, get to know you."
Sunset just nodded. "Once again, why didn't you bring it up before?"
"I guess.... Well, we talked a little at first, but I kinda got distracted. I mean, we jumped into bed on the first day we really met."
"And the day after that. And the day after that," Sunset said, her smirk returning. "Is that the problem, that we don't get together enough anymore? Are those lustful teenage hormones too much for you to handle?"
"No, that's not it." Flash paused to scratch his face. "Well, actually, it's kinda part of it. I guess I got so wrapped up in what we were doing that I just forgot about the other stuff and ignored your problems so I wouldn't have any reasons to stop."
"My problems?" Sunset said, her eyes narrowing.
Flash gestured vaguely in her direction. "You know, the fact that you almost never tell me anything about yourself. And I actually kinda liked it when you called me stupid the first few times, but now it just feels mean. And it seems like you don't care about anyone but yourself, and don't have respect for—"
"I give respect where it's due and nowhere else," Sunset interjected.
"I get that, I do, but it looks like you don't think it's due anywhere. Maybe you don't think it is, but that's not important and we're getting off track. The point is that all that stuff has been getting to me. I can't keep ignoring it anymore, you know? I've grown up a lot since we started going out, but it doesn't feel like you have at all. I just want something more meaningful and stuff, and I just don't think you're ever going to give me that."
A sigh escaped Sunset's lips. "Did I seriously wake up in a crappy romance story, or have you always been such a sappy wuss? At least you've finally manned up enough to confront me about it."
"I'm not being sappy," Flash said defensively, "I just want a deeper relationship."
"Go jump down a well, that'll be plenty deep."
Silence fell as the two just stared at one another. If Sunset was trying to keep him around, she was doing a terrible job of showing it. He knew that if he stayed with her, he would always be wanting things that she wouldn't give him, and he was pretty sure that cheating on her wouldn't end well for him. He shook his head slowly and headed for the exit. He'd run out of things to say.
"Don't walk away from me," Sunset hissed as he walked past her.
Flash paused a moment, but didn't respond. He unlocked and opened the door.
"Fine! Let's talk! Ask me a question!" she said from behind him.
"It's too late, Sunset, I've made my decision. I think it's best if we see other people. I'm sorry, but it's over." He moved out the door quickly, not wanting to make the farewell last any longer. "Goodbye."
"You're not sorry, Flash, but you're gonna be if you don't get back here right now!"
He kept walking.
"Don't ignore me!"
He paused, checking for cars, and then crossed the street.
"Flash!"
He didn't look back, even as he heard the door slam behind him. He listened, but didn't hear anything else from his formerly-significant other. He breathed out a sigh, relieved that he'd finally done it. As far as he was concerned, it was over. She might not be able to accept it yet, but they were through. He walked home in silence.
* * * *
The sun had set hours ago, but Sunset was still awake. She sat at her computer, eyes glued to the screen and ears covered by headphones. She cringed briefly as she clicked away from the web browser to skip a particularly terrible song. She didn't even know why she had the song. She quickly rectified the situation by deleting it.
With her ears no longer assaulted by the noise, she clicked back to her browser. Just as she had left it, the window still displayed Flash Sentry's profile page. The web page was dominated by the photo of Flash posing with his guitar, while the rest was filled with little pictures and pieces of information about him. One sentence in particular was the focus of Sunset's leer. Flash's relationship status had changed from "in a relationship" to "single." Sunset removed him from her friends list and closed the browser.
She tossed off her robe as she entered her bedroom, which was the only other real room in her apartment, aside from the bathroom. She still didn't really understand the fixation that humans had with covering up their bodies, aside from the insulation it provided. Nopony she'd ever met in Equestria ever had such absurd qualms, but she conformed to proper etiquette to avoid raising suspicion. Different world, different standards, she would remind herself.
She wasn't thinking about social taboos, though. Try as she might, she couldn't stop thinking about the things that Flash had said to her that day. He must have been a complete idiot. Not only did he want to break up with Sunset Shimmer, the hottest and most popular girl in the school, but he wanted to break up with Sunset Shimmer, the most powerful and dangerous girl in the school. Surely he knew that trying to leave her behind would only lead to his own ruination.
Sunset smiled as she thought about planting a paint bomb in his locker. Or perhaps she would have Snips and Snails do a little creative vandalism and then pin it on him. She frowned at the thought of crying "abuse," however, as she felt that was a bit low, even for her. I'll think of something, she thought as she walked to her bed. If he thinks he can just walk away from me after everything we've—
She stopped moving, suddenly struck by where her mind was leading her. She was furious, but did she really have a reason for it? To be fair, she'd only been dating him for her own amusement and pleasure. He was just a tool she kept around for fun and stress relief. He never really mattered to her.
Then why was she so upset that he was gone?
Sunset reclined on her bed, her mind refocusing from revenge to reflection. They'd been together for more than a year, and Flash was right about them barely talking. In fact, she could remember every conversation they'd had since they started dating. She remembered the time they got together at that dessert shop run by the Cakes. She remembered when Flash told her about how he'd mowed lawns for weeks to save up enough to buy his guitar. She remembered when she'd let slip that her parents were dead.
She could remember the inane conversations, but she couldn't remember much about the specifics of their more intimate encounters. She could remember her first time as a human, of course, but the rest was just a blur. Why did she remember the stuff that didn't matter, but couldn't remember the things she kept him around for? And why did she prompt him to ask her a question when he was trying to leave? That one had really surprised her. It was like she was making a stupid, last-ditch effort to salvage a relationship that barely existed. That didn't make sense.
Sunset rolled over, her eyes catching sight of the photo she kept on the nightstand. She never really thought much about why she kept it there. Flash had given her the photo and the frame, and she'd just left it there next to her bed. It seemed like the thing to do. The photo was taken at last year's Fall Formal dance, as was customary with couples who attended the event. It had been almost a year since it had been taken. Sunset was wearing her signature smirk, while Flash bore a goofy grin.
The pair of smiles reminded Sunset that she had forgotten to brush her teeth. She sighed and moved into the bathroom, removing the brush and tube of toothpaste from the cabinet behind the mirror. As she swung the cabinet door shut, however, the two items fell from her hands and into the sink. She took a step back, staring at her own reflection, unable to believe the sight before her. Sunset moved in closer after a second, leaning in to get a better look at the mirror.
She reached a hand up to be sure she wasn't hallucinating, brushing her fingers across her own cheek. She pulled her hand back, rubbing her now-wet fingers together in confusion. Sunset gazed in disbelief at the clear liquid that was seeping from her eyes and into the sink, each blink sending more running down her cheeks. Her hand came back to her face, covering her mouth as a squeak escaped her lips. Her head shook from side-to-side, struggling to comprehend what was happening to her. It made no sense. What was wrong with her? Was she sick? What....
Sunset finally turned away and crawled into bed, leaving the toothbrush and paste forgotten in the sink. Her quivering body slid in and curled up under the blanket, her hand reaching out and turning off the light a moment later. She rolled over, pulling the covers up to her chest and silently crying into her pillow until sleep relieved her of the tears that she couldn't understand.
